Tlaloc
An ancient Mesoamerican name meaning "He who is made of earth".
Name Census estimates that about 269 living Americans carry the first name Tlaloc. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tlaloc today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tlaloc births was 2007 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tlaloc. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
269
~ 1 in 1,274,180 Americans
Peak year
2007
18 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,127
Tracked since 1977
Census
Tlaloc in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 231 people with the first name Tlaloc, which placed it at #35,041 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,041
National first-name rank
People counted
231
231 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
96.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tlaloc
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tlaloc is Hispanic at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and White (0.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tlaloc described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tlaloc at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.5% · 223
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 4
- White0.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Popularity
Tlaloc: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tlaloc from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 99 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Tlaloc remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tlaloc by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tlaloc during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tlalocs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tlaloc
Tlaloc is a given name with roots in Aztec culture and mythology. It originates from the Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs of central Mexico. The name refers to the Aztec deity Tlaloc, the god of rain, fertility, and water. This name emerged during the rise of the Aztec civilization, which reached its peak between the 14th and 16th centuries CE in what is now Mexico.
The name Tlaloc likely derives from the Nahuatl words "tlalli" meaning earth or land, and "oc" meaning lord or ruler. Combined, Tlaloc signifies the ruler or lord of the earth, reflecting the deity's association with agriculture, water, and the sustenance of life. Variations in spelling and pronunciation exist, such as Tlaloque or Tlalocan, referring to the mythical paradise or dwelling place of Tlaloc and his entourage.
Tlaloc was a prominent figure in Aztec religious texts and codices, often depicted as a blue-skinned, goggle-eyed deity with fangs and a distinctive headdress. The Aztecs worshipped Tlaloc through ceremonies, rituals, and offerings, seeking to appease the god and ensure favorable rainfall for their crops. Records of human sacrifices to Tlaloc exist, underscoring the importance of this deity in the Aztec belief system.
One of the earliest known individuals named Tlaloc was a 16th-century Aztec ruler and ally of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. This Tlaloc played a pivotal role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, aiding Cortés in his efforts to overthrow the Aztec leader Moctezuma II.
In more recent times, Tlaloc has been used as a given name by individuals of Mexican or Latin American descent, often as a nod to their cultural heritage and the rich Aztec mythology. Notable bearers of the name include:
1. Tlaloc López-Watermann (born 1962), a Mexican anthropologist and researcher specializing in the study of pre-Hispanic cultures.
2. Tlaloc Raza (born 1967), a Mexican-American artist and muralist known for his vibrant depictions of Aztec and indigenous themes.
3. Tlaloc Ayala (born 1979), a Mexican professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist.
4. Tlaloc Fernández (born 1981), a Mexican-American writer and educator whose works explore themes of identity and cultural heritage.
5. Tlaloc Zepeda (born 1989), a Mexican-American musician and composer who incorporates traditional Aztec instruments and motifs into his compositions.
Through these individuals and others, the name Tlaloc continues to carry the legacy of Aztec culture and mythology, serving as a tribute to the ancient rain god and the rich history of Mesoamerica.
People
Tlaloc + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tlaloc as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tlaloc: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tlaloc?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 269 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tlaloc going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,274,180 US residents.
Is Tlaloc a common name?
We classify Tlaloc as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 272 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tlaloc most popular?
The single biggest year for Tlaloc was 2007, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tlaloc is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tlaloc in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 231 people with the name Tlaloc, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,041 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tlaloc in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tlaloc?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tlaloc leans strongly male. 231 people counted with this name were male (98.7%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tlaloc?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tlaloc is Hispanic at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and White (0.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tlaloc most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Tlaloc in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (223 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tlaloc in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tlaloc a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tlaloc in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Tlaloc still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tlaloc in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tlaloc can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Tlaloc as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Tlaloc on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.